September 2000 CAITs’ Corner

December 2000

Janice Blencowe - Steve Cox - Neil MacTavish - Dan Mooney - Gisèle Winger - Ric Woltz

eTeacher2

New Versions

There is, as expected, a new version of eTeacher. Version 2.0e has been released, and it has addressed many of the problems that we had encountered in the first term. It will be released to all staff soon, both in CD form, and available for download. The new version also features additional library resources for the Ministry Expectations, courtesy of the Renfrew County Board of Education. Although the current version is still serviceable, the upgrade is recommended. It involves a complete install, not a patch, so it would be worth your while to talk to your CAIT about saving your first term comments to a new library before the install.

For those among us who have Palm Pilots, version 2.1 is expected before Christmas. This version is anticipated to link the Palm with eTeacher, and to assist particularly with the assessment component of eTeacher2.

Tips and Tricks

1. Spell Checking - Many of you had difficulty with the spell checker last term. If your dictionary wasn't installed, your spell checker didn't work. Your CAIT has step by step instructions on how to locate the dictionary, and how to install it. Many of you didn't realize that the blue book symbol in the report card was a spell checker. You can use it to check each comment in the report card format.

If you wish to check all the sections of a single report card, you can do so in the Report Card view. Go to the Edit Menu, Spelling and select Check All. It will check all the fields for that report card. Similarly, you can check all your Mathematics comments at one time in the List View/Comment List. Again, select Spelling in the Edit Menu, and then Check All.

2. Accidentally Placing a Comment - One of the most common errors that many people made this term was to accidentally place a comment in the report card, when all they wanted to do was see the comment. Always make sure that Preview Comment Box is checked off, and when you click on a comment it will appear in a frame so you can check it, but it is not applied to any students until you tell it to apply it.

Mac Tips

How Do I Toggle Between Applications?

Q. How do I switch among open windows via the keyboard, as PC users do using Windows 95's Alt-Tab command?

A. Upgrade to Mac OS 8.5, and tear off the Application menu (at the right end of the menu bar) to turn it into the Application Switcher window. To do this, click the Application menu icon, drag your cursor down the menu and past the bottom, and position the resulting window wherever you like. Then you can press command-tab to switch to the next application, or press command-shift-tab to switch to the previous application.

If you don't want to upgrade to Mac OS 8.5, you can add similar keyboard shortcuts by installing Michael F. Kamprath's $10 Program Switcher control panel, or one of several other similar utilities. You can set advanced options in Program Switcher to make program switching look and work very much as it does in Windows 95.

How to Right Click on a One-Button Mouse

Hold down the CTRL key when you click the mouse button, and it will bring up the menu items, the same as a right click on a PC.

Printing Tip

Double Sided Printing with Claris Works or Appleworks

TIP It's possible to print a multipage ClarisWorks or AppleWorks 5 word processing document on both sides of the paper without using QuickDraw GX or a printing-utility program. First, open the document you want to print. Choose Document from the Format menu and turn on the Mirror Facing Pages option in the resulting dialog box; this matches the inside and outside margins on facing pages. I also like to select the Facing Pages Side-By-Side option in this dialog box to display pages side by side on screen. This doesn't affect printing but makes it easy to distinguish the right (odd-numbered) pages, which print on the front of the paper, from the left (even-numbered) pages, which print on the back.

Print the odd-numbered pages first by choosing Print from the File menu, selecting the Right Pages option, and clicking Print. Then reverse the order of the printed pages, turning them over so that page one is on top and facedown, page three is facedown under page one, and so on.

Next, place the printed pages back into the printer facedown, observing the correct page orientation for your printer. If the last page of the document is odd numbered, don't put it back into the printer-there's nothing to print on its back.

Finally, print the even-numbered pages by choosing Print from the File menu, selecting the Left Pages option, and clicking Print.

Bruce Farah

Eugene, Oregon

Depending on how your printer feeds paper, you may not need to reverse the order of the odd-numbered pages before putting them back into the printer.-L.P. (MAC Tip of the Day)

Windows Tips

Windows Tip

Keyboard Shortcut Secrets to Save You Time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You've got your mouse. You've got your keyboard. We bet that you're spending more time using both than you need to. You see, there's a lot more you can do with your keyboard than just the three finger salute. This week, we give you some keyboard shortcut secrets to make your life easier.

F1 = Help

ALT+TAB = Switch to another application running. Hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to move from one to another.

ALT+F4 = Quits the program

SHIFT+DELETE = Deletes item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin.

SHIFT+F10 = Equivalent of right-click

F2 = Rename object

F3 = Find: All files

F4 = Selects the Go to A Different Folder box on the taskbar, and moves down the entries

F5 = Refreshes current window (handy when browsing Web!)

CTRL+X = Cut

CTRL+C = Copy

CTRL+V = Paste

CTRL+Z = Undo

CTRL+B = Bold

CTRL+U = Underline

CTRL+I = Italic

Windows Key+M = Minimize all (Kate's fave)

Windows+SHIFT+M = Undo minimize all

Windows+E = Windows Explorer

Windows+TAB = Cycle through Taskbar buttons

Windows+BREAK = Opens System Properties dialog box

Browser Tips

Are you letting your browser be all that it can be?

Your first step in building a better browser is to make sure that you have the most current shipping version of whatever browser you happen to prefer, be it Navigator/Communicator or Internet Explorer (or another browser like Opera, for that matter). Notice, however that I said shipping version. In other words, I suggest that you steer clear of anything marked pre-release or beta.

For example, a few months ago, Netscape's pre-release of Navigator 6 opened to mixed reviews. While the general features were praised, many people complained that some features didn't work on their

particular system, or that the new software crashed their computer. This is to be expected on pre-release software; that's why they call it that. And while it may sound intriguing to have the absolute latest and greatest on your computer, it can be more trouble than it's worth.

So why do you want the latest shipping version, if the version you have seems to work okay? That's simple. New browser releases incorporate support for new Web features as well as patches for security holes. And once those new Web features are supported, it doesn't take Web developers long to start incorporating those features into their Web sites. Wait too long to upgrade and you could find yourself missing out on the newest Web experiences available.

Not too long ago, the list of possible browser plug-ins seemed both intimidating and confusing. Thankfully, the market has thinned out and there are really only a handful of must-have plug-ins. They include: Acrobat Reader (from Adobe, www.adobe.com), Quick Time (from Apple Computer, www.quicktime.com), RealPlayer (from RealNetworks, www.real.com), Shockwave/Flash (from Macromedia, www.macromedia.com), and Windows Media Player (from Microsoft, www.windowsmedia.com).

With these browser plug-ins installed, you'll be able to handle just about anything that comes along on the Web. However, just as with your browser itself, it's important to make sure you have the current version of each of these--for the same reason you want a current browser. Older versions of a plug-in may not be able to handle content created for later versions of that same plug-in.

Spam Tip

Many people are nervous about giving their name and e-mail address to Web Sites in order to get access. It is often suggested that when confronted with a website that asks for such personal information as your name and email address, that you lie and provide a false name and address. If you object to this kind of intrusion and would like

to let that website know of your objection, try this little trick:

In the email field enter webmaster@ and then the name of the site. For example, if bubba.com demands an email address before it allows you to download an update to BubbaPaint 4.0, enter webmaster@bubba.com in this field. This way, if the site generates spam from these email addresses it collects, that spam will be sent

to the site's webmaster.

Internet Explorer "Open Cookie Jar"

"Any Web site that uses cookies to authenticate users or store private information including Amazon.com, HotMail, Yahoo Mail, DoubleClick, MP3.com, NYTimes.com, and thousands of others could have cookies exposed by Internet Explorer and intercepted by a third-party Web site." Here, you can test to see what your cookies reveal.

http://peacefire.org/security/iecookies/

	eTeacher2
	New Versions There is, as expected, a new version of eTeacher. Version 2.0e has been released, and it has addressed many of the problems that we had encountered in the first term. It will be released to all staff soon, both in CD form, and available for download. The new version also features additional library resources for the Ministry Expectations, courtesy of the Renfrew County Board of Education. Although the current version is still serviceable, the upgrade is recommended. It involves a complete install, not a patch, so it would be worth your while to talk to your CAIT about saving your first term comments to a new library before the install. For those among us who have Palm Pilots, version 2.1 is expected before Christmas. This version is anticipated to link the Palm with eTeacher, and to assist particularly with the assessment component of eTeacher2. Tips and Tricks 1. Spell Checking - Many of you had difficulty with the spell checker last term. If your dictionary wasn't installed, your spell checker didn't work. Your CAIT has step by step instructions on how to locate the dictionary, and how to install it. Many of you didn't realize that the blue book symbol in the report card was a spell checker. You can use it to check each comment in the report card format. If you wish to check all the sections of a single report card, you can do so in the Report Card view. Go to the Edit Menu, Spelling and select Check All. It will check all the fields for that report card. Similarly, you can check all your Mathematics comments at one time in the List View/Comment List. Again, select Spelling in the Edit Menu, and then Check All. 2. Accidentally Placing a Comment - One of the most common errors that many people made this term was to accidentally place a comment in the report card, when all they wanted to do was see the comment. Always make sure that Preview Comment Box is checked off, and when you click on a comment it will appear in a frame so you can check it, but it is not applied to any students until you tell it to apply it.
	Mac Tips
	How Do I Toggle Between Applications? Q. How do I switch among open windows via the keyboard, as PC users do using Windows 95's Alt-Tab command? A. Upgrade to Mac OS 8.5, and tear off the Application menu (at the right end of the menu bar) to turn it into the Application Switcher window. To do this, click the Application menu icon, drag your cursor down the menu and past the bottom, and position the resulting window wherever you like. Then you can press command-tab to switch to the next application, or press command-shift-tab to switch to the previous application. If you don't want to upgrade to Mac OS 8.5, you can add similar keyboard shortcuts by installing Michael F. Kamprath's $10 Program Switcher control panel, or one of several other similar utilities. You can set advanced options in Program Switcher to make program switching look and work very much as it does in Windows 95. How to Right Click on a One-Button Mouse Hold down the CTRL key when you click the mouse button, and it will bring up the menu items, the same as a right click on a PC.
	Printing Tip
	Double Sided Printing with Claris Works or Appleworks TIP It's possible to print a multipage ClarisWorks or AppleWorks 5 word processing document on both sides of the paper without using QuickDraw GX or a printing-utility program. First, open the document you want to print. Choose Document from the Format menu and turn on the Mirror Facing Pages option in the resulting dialog box; this matches the inside and outside margins on facing pages. I also like to select the Facing Pages Side-By-Side option in this dialog box to display pages side by side on screen. This doesn't affect printing but makes it easy to distinguish the right (odd-numbered) pages, which print on the front of the paper, from the left (even-numbered) pages, which print on the back. Print the odd-numbered pages first by choosing Print from the File menu, selecting the Right Pages option, and clicking Print. Then reverse the order of the printed pages, turning them over so that page one is on top and facedown, page three is facedown under page one, and so on. Next, place the printed pages back into the printer facedown, observing the correct page orientation for your printer. If the last page of the document is odd numbered, don't put it back into the printer-there's nothing to print on its back. Finally, print the even-numbered pages by choosing Print from the File menu, selecting the Left Pages option, and clicking Print. Bruce Farah Eugene, Oregon Depending on how your printer feeds paper, you may not need to reverse the order of the odd-numbered pages before putting them back into the printer.-L.P. (MAC Tip of the Day)
	Windows Tips
	Windows Tip Keyboard Shortcut Secrets to Save You Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You've got your mouse. You've got your keyboard. We bet that you're spending more time using both than you need to. You see, there's a lot more you can do with your keyboard than just the three finger salute. This week, we give you some keyboard shortcut secrets to make your life easier. F1 = Help ALT+TAB = Switch to another application running. Hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to move from one to another. ALT+F4 = Quits the program SHIFT+DELETE = Deletes item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+F10 = Equivalent of right-click F2 = Rename object F3 = Find: All files F4 = Selects the Go to A Different Folder box on the taskbar, and moves down the entries F5 = Refreshes current window (handy when browsing Web!) CTRL+X = Cut CTRL+C = Copy CTRL+V = Paste CTRL+Z = Undo CTRL+B = Bold CTRL+U = Underline CTRL+I = Italic Windows Key+M = Minimize all (Kate's fave) Windows+SHIFT+M = Undo minimize all Windows+E = Windows Explorer Windows+TAB = Cycle through Taskbar buttons Windows+BREAK = Opens System Properties dialog box Browser Tips Are you letting your browser be all that it can be? Your first step in building a better browser is to make sure that you have the most current shipping version of whatever browser you happen to prefer, be it Navigator/Communicator or Internet Explorer (or another browser like Opera, for that matter). Notice, however that I said shipping version. In other words, I suggest that you steer clear of anything marked pre-release or beta. For example, a few months ago, Netscape's pre-release of Navigator 6 opened to mixed reviews. While the general features were praised, many people complained that some features didn't work on their particular system, or that the new software crashed their computer. This is to be expected on pre-release software; that's why they call it that. And while it may sound intriguing to have the absolute latest and greatest on your computer, it can be more trouble than it's worth. So why do you want the latest shipping version, if the version you have seems to work okay? That's simple. New browser releases incorporate support for new Web features as well as patches for security holes. And once those new Web features are supported, it doesn't take Web developers long to start incorporating those features into their Web sites. Wait too long to upgrade and you could find yourself missing out on the newest Web experiences available. Not too long ago, the list of possible browser plug-ins seemed both intimidating and confusing. Thankfully, the market has thinned out and there are really only a handful of must-have plug-ins. They include: Acrobat Reader (from Adobe, www.adobe.com), Quick Time (from Apple Computer, www.quicktime.com), RealPlayer (from RealNetworks, www.real.com), Shockwave/Flash (from Macromedia, www.macromedia.com), and Windows Media Player (from Microsoft, www.windowsmedia.com). With these browser plug-ins installed, you'll be able to handle just about anything that comes along on the Web. However, just as with your browser itself, it's important to make sure you have the current version of each of these--for the same reason you want a current browser. Older versions of a plug-in may not be able to handle content created for later versions of that same plug-in. Spam Tip Many people are nervous about giving their name and e-mail address to Web Sites in order to get access. It is often suggested that when confronted with a website that asks for such personal information as your name and email address, that you lie and provide a false name and address. If you object to this kind of intrusion and would like to let that website know of your objection, try this little trick: In the email field enter webmaster@ and then the name of the site. For example, if bubba.com demands an email address before it allows you to download an update to BubbaPaint 4.0, enter webmaster@bubba.com in this field. This way, if the site generates spam from these email addresses it collects, that spam will be sent to the site's webmaster. Internet Explorer "Open Cookie Jar" "Any Web site that uses cookies to authenticate users or store private information including Amazon.com, HotMail, Yahoo Mail, DoubleClick, MP3.com, NYTimes.com, and thousands of others could have cookies exposed by Internet Explorer and intercepted by a third-party Web site." Here, you can test to see what your cookies reveal. http://peacefire.org/security/iecookies/